Hurricane Dorian to have 'minimal impact' on Florida, but 'it's still not over yet'
MIAMI — Hurricane Dorian continued to inch away from the Bahamas on Tuesday, the first signs of a much anticipated north turn — the move likely to spare Florida the brunt of a storm that weakened but remained a still powerful Category 2.
The movement should finally ease the ordeal in the Bahamas, slammed by a record-breaking 185 mph Category 5 storm that stalled over the northwest islands for two days. At least five people have died in the relentless winds and two-story storm surge over the weekend, and the toll easily could rise once relief and rescue workers can fully assess the destruction.
At 5 p.m. the National Hurricane Center placed the center of Dorian 105 miles off Vero Beach with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The storm may have dropped from peak power but its wind field grew, increasing the risk of high winds and dangerous storm surge to move farther inland as it moves north toward Georgia and the Carolinas. Hurricane-force winds extended 60 miles from the center of the system, and tropical-storm-force winds whipped up to 175 miles from the core.
The storm had also picked up its pace — by 5 p.m., it was moving at 6 mph — and it was predicted to speed up more in the next few days as it hugs the coastline. By Friday morning, at 2 a.m., the forecast has Dorian coming dangerously close to the shores of North Carolina, still as a hurricane.
The acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday afternoon that Hurricane Dorian will have a “minimal impact” on Florida, but officials are still encouraging Floridians to remain vigilant.
“I think we're fortunate that this will have minimal impact on Florida,” acting Administrator Peter Gaynor said at a press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis in Tallahassee. “It's still not over yet, so be prepared for any scenario.”
Tuesday also saw the formation of a new tropical depression in the eastern tropical Atlantic, although forecasters said it is “not anticipated to become a hurricane during the work week.” The new depression, along with Tropical Storm Fernand just off Mexico's gulf coast and a tropical disturbance several hundred miles northeast of Dorian, is a reminder that early September is the most active time in hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30. None of the systems beside Dorian appear to be a threat to land anytime soon.The Florida coast from Jupiter Inlet to Ponte Vedra Beach was expected to start feeling hurricane conditions Tuesday night as the storm passes off shore. A hurricane warning remained in place for that stretch of Florida.Chris Andrews was walking around Port Salerno, a small town in unincorporated Martin County on the St. Lucie River inlet, along with a few neighbors around 11 a.m.“We got really lucky. Incredibly lucky,” Andrews said, thinking back to just two days ago when forecasters said Martin County might be where the massive storm made landfall when it was done battering the Bahamas.“We're just thinking about the Abacos and the Bahamas and how devastating it is for them,” he said.Hurricane Dorian spent most of Labor Day parked over Grand Bahama, lashing the island with winds topping 145 mph and 12 to 18 feet of storm surge.The ferocious storm ripped off roofs, flooded shelters and killed at least five people. Horrifying video shared on social media showed murky brown waters battering at people's windows, invading the first floor of their homes and, in one case, lapping at the floor of someone's attic.The U.S. Coast Guard had already rescued 19 people from a medical clinic in Marsh Harbour in the Abaco islands.The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance was mobilizing aid for the Bahamian government, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
